Course Objectives

This course aims to:

• Introduce the principles and values of Agile software development.
• Familiarize students with popular Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.
• Teach students to apply Agile practices in software development projects.
• Enable students to understand the benefits and challenges of Agile development.
• Develop skills in collaboration, communication, and self-organization within Agile teams.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Explain the core principles and values of Agile development.
2. Understand and apply Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.
3. Use Agile practices for planning, estimation, and tracking progress.
4. Work effectively in Agile teams, demonstrating collaboration and communication skills.
5. Analyze the suitability of Agile for different project contexts.

Detailed Syllabus

Module 1: Introduction to Agile

• Agile Manifesto and Principles
• Comparison of Agile and Traditional Approaches
• Benefits and Challenges of Agile

Module 2: Scrum Framework

• Scrum Roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team
• Scrum Events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective
• Scrum Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment

Module 3: Kanban Framework

• Kanban Principles and Practices
• Kanban Board and Work in Progress (WIP) Limits
• Kanban Metrics and Flow

Module 4: Agile Practices

• User Stories and Acceptance Criteria
• Estimation Techniques: Planning Poker, Story Points
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)
• Test-Driven Development (TDD)
• Refactoring

Module 5: Agile Adoption and Scaling

• Challenges in Agile Adoption
• Scaling Agile: Scrum of Scrums, Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Textbooks

• Agile Software Development with Scrum by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle
• Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business by David J. Anderson

Reference Books

• Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn
• User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development by Mike Cohn

List of Experiments

1. Practice creating user stories and acceptance criteria for a given project.
2. Participate in estimation sessions using Planning Poker or Story Points.
3. Simulate a Sprint Planning meeting and create a Sprint Backlog.
4. Practice conducting Daily Scrum meetings.
5. Conduct a Sprint Review and Retrospective.
6. Use a Kanban board to visualize and manage workflow.
7. Practice Test-Driven Development (TDD) for a simple programming task.
8. Perform refactoring on existing code to improve its design and maintainability.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this lab, students will be able to:

1. Apply Agile practices in a simulated project environment.
2. Collaborate and communicate effectively within an Agile team.
3. Use Agile tools and techniques for planning, tracking, and reporting progress.
4. Experience the benefits and challenges of Agile development firsthand.